The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs

London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1904 . Cloth. Very Good. 8.5" by 6.5". None. An early twentieth century edition of William Morris's English language translation of the tragic Old Norse epic poem. The eighth impression of this epic poem from British textile designer, writer, and artist William Morris.Composed of over 10,000 lines, Morris recounts the tale of Norse hero Sigmund, his son Sigurd, and Sigurd's wife Gudrun, drawn from the  Icelandic Volsunga Saga and Elder Edda. Having encountered the tale at a young age, Morris began to learn Old Norse from an Icelandic scholar in 1868, and embarked on his own translations of the Icelandic classics.It was Morris's own favourite of his poems, and was enthusiastically praised both by contemporary critics and by figures including T. E. Lawrence and George Bernard Shaw, and is viewed as having influenced the work of J. R. R. Tolkien and Andrew Lang.With an advertisement leaf to the rear.With the inscription 'H.G.B from G.B.', dated Christmas 1908, to the front free endpaper In the publisher's original cloth binding. Bumping to back strip head and tail. Paper spine label age toned, with losses to perimeters. Light marks to front board. Inscription to front free endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages bright and generally clean, with instances of light spotting throughout. Very Good